Shannen Doherty said she 'desperately' wanted to be a mom. Experts explain how cancer can affect family planning.
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- Shannen Doherty had been open about her desire for children before her death.
- The "Charmed" actor died on Saturday, following a nine-year battle with cancer.
- Fertility experts weigh in on how a cancer diagnosis can affect family planning.
Actor Shannen Doherty said she "desperately" wanted to have a child before her death.
The "Beverly Hills, 90210" star died on Saturday after a nine-year battle with breast cancer. She was 53 years old.
On a January episode of her podcast "Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty," she shared with her guest, oncologist Lawrence Piro, that she and her then-husband, Kurt Iswarienko, had turned to IVF to try to conceive.
They eventually stopped doing IVF when her chemotherapy induced menopause, she said on the podcast. But Doherty was hopeful that her menstruation would return because she "still wanted to have a baby," Piro said.
"Yeah, desperately," Doherty agreed. "Not only did I want a child for myself, but I wanted it for my husband, I wanted it for a marriage, I wanted him to have that part of himself fulfilled." The pair got married in 2011. Doherty filed for divorce last year.
The "Charmed" actor was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She went into remission in 2017, but the cancer returned in 2019 and spread to her bones and brain in 2023, she shared on her Instagram.
Since her diagnosis, Doherty had been open about her desire for motherhood. In 2023, she told People she would "love nothing more than to be a mom."
"I always wanted it," she said. "I look at kids who don't have parents at all, and I think if I adopt a child or whatever it is, any amount of time is better than nothing. Maybe. I don't know."
What experts say about family planning during cancer
There is no simple answer to approaching family planning during a cancer diagnosis, fertility experts told Business Insider.
Every case is different, and the feasibility of having children after cancer depends on the type and stage of cancer and the patient's prognosis, said Dr. Tan Thiam Chye, a consultant OB-GYN at O&G The Women's Medical Specialist in Singapore.
He added that people in that scenario should have extensive discussions with their gynecologist and oncologist.
"Doctors have to ensure that the mother is physically and emotionally healthy to carry the pregnancy. Safety is the top-most priority," he said.
Cancer treatment can often impact fertility as there is high stress on the patient's emotional and physical health, as well as damage to their reproductive cells, he added. In some cases, treatment can lead to transient or permanent menopause.
With advancements like egg freezing, however, people have more options to conceive after cancer treatment, he said.
In addition, people who have been diagnosed with cancer should consider the possibility of passing down mutations in their genes that may cause cancer to their children, said Professor Ng Soon Chye, a fertility specialist and the medical chairman at Sincere IVF Center in Singapore.
"Fortunately, advances have made a world of difference," he told BI. "If [a couple] really wants to try, they shouldn't give up. We've had miracle cases where we thought it was impossible to get pregnant, but yet they managed to."
A representative for Doherty did not respond to a request for comment from BI.